Dim sum intrigue: Tom's opening in Chinatown

The original location of Dim Sum Garden, on 11th Street below Arch in Chinatown, is coming back in mid-March as Tom's Dim Sum - an all-new, much larger spot run by Tom Guo, one of the early operators.

And with that, a long-simmering rivalry between this location and a newer upstart Dim Sum Garden at 1020 Race St. will be over.

Dim Sum Garden opened in humble, fluorescent digs on that dismal "tunnel block" beneath the Hilton Garden Inn in 2007, quickly winning plaudits for soup dumplings (xiao long bao).

The shop then became embroiled in litigation when one partner left in late 2013 to open Dim Sum Garden on Race Street. The move left the shop at 59 N. 11th St. closed temporarily.

Guo reopened it shortly after, as "the Original."

Tom's Dim Sum is taking half the space once occupied by Wawa at 11th and Arch Streets. Its new kitchen will be as large as the former dining room.

Tom's also is setting up a location on State Street in Media.